People worry a lot. They fear being left behind, not being up to date and they fear not having the latest tools they need to compete. The fact is, human fear takes many forms and it’s perfectly fine to leverage this as a content strategy. So don’t shy away from it. 
Read and listen to successful marketing campaigns and you’ll find them peppered with phrases like, “Can you really afford to know less than your competitor?” “Don’t you want the best for your child?” “Don’t wait until it’s too late to start planning for retirement.”
Although subtle, fear is utilized in almost every winning campaign. You can inject fear into your campaign simply by suggesting to prospects the consequences they may face if they don’t buy your product—as with this example.
Example:
Today, more people are demanding to interact with you online. And your prospects are the life blood of your enterprise. So can you really afford to ignore the lead-generation power of today’s social media platforms? We can help you tap into this power. Just like your competitors have.
Here is a simple three-step formula for injecting fear into your marketing copy.
- Point out or imply the fear prospects may experience in a given situation.
- Next, describe the unwanted consequences such fear or pain can cause.
- Finally, describe how your product, service, book or information product will eliminate the fear your prospects would rather not face.
You don’t have to be heavy handed when using the fear factor. It can be done in a very subtle or even humorous way. So have fun with it if this strategy is appropriate for your brand.
The key is to let prospects know the potential pain of not using your product or service—and then be very clear how your solution will help them avoid it.
This strategy can be applied with equal effectiveness to book promotions and product marketing campaigns. The trick is not being too afraid to use it!
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Want to learn more? Feel free to give me a call at (303) 697-4793.